Don't Kiss The Cook
by Dahls
Summary: Ludwig is a distraught college student, seeking refuge from his nuisance of a brother. He flees to a nearby cafe where he meets an interesting chef. Suddenly, everything's changing, for better or worse. GerIta, AU. Ongoing series.
1. Welcome to the Wonderful World of

**AN:** I haven't written anything in awhile, so here! 8D;;

I've really wanted to do one of those fun AU series, so I tried my hand at one. GerIta is so adorable, hnghh. ;; (When did Italy get so wise?)

I don't know how long this series will go for, I guess it depends on the feedback. Expect at LEAST 2-3 more chapters though.

_ACHTUNG! INCLUDES MILD SWEARING AND GAY CONTEXT.  
>Hetalia: Axis Powers is a product of Hidekaz, not of my own. Characters belong to him.<em>

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><p>Ludwig more or less stomped into the little cafe. He forced the door open with little care whether it was really supposed to be a push door or not, walked past the podium with no regard to the sign that requested customers to wait to be seated, and plopped himself down at a lonely little table next to the window.<p>

Being a college student preoccupied with paying for his classes, he didn't have much time to lounge around and slack off, or much money to do so. But he had put up with so much shit today, he decided to let go and treat himself to something nice. Ludwig had had his eye on this quaint little Italian cafe for sometime, and he decided early that morning that he would try it out.

Though at this point, he was a bit too irritated to really care about the restaurant or its food. Not even the curious waiter who looked equally irritated and had a rather odd curl coming off of his head.

When the waiter came by and asked him what he wanted to drink, Ludwig barked out a list of beers, completely ignoring the bewildered look the waiter gave him before proceeding back into the kitchen. Manners were something he generally prided himself on, but he couldn't be damned to care this time around. After having around 8 beers brought out to him, Ludwig began to chug his way through them.

At this point, the waiter stormed back into the kitchen. "I told you! Germans are monsters! Rude drunkards, bastards and..." Lovino fell back onto Italian slurs, a bit too fast for his brother to follow.

"Hey now," Feliciano said, smiling softly and making soothing motions with his spatula. "I'm sure he's just having a bad day or something!"

"Doesn't mean he has to be such an asshole to the rest of us," the older sibling spat, crossing his arms and wearing his signature pout. Feliciano only laughed.

"Just take his order and I'll take care of it. You can leave early, alright?" Lovino paused, thinking it over, then decided it all worked out for him and it was almost closing time anyways.

After lounging around in the kitchen for a bit longer, both brothers watching the angry German go through half his beers, Lovino finally came back out, with a rather forced smile. "Are you ready to order, sir?"

The blonde customer looked at him, eyes starting to haze over a bit. "Mm...? Ah...Just get me anything with potatoes or something." With that, he turned away, reaching for the fifth bottle.

Lovino, after twitching a bit, finally managed to respond with an "alright," then hastily tore into the kitchen. "Just boil a potato for the bastard!" he called out, tearing off his uniform. Before Feliciano could try to get a clear response from his brother, Lovino had already bolted out the door and out of the restaurant.

Feliciano scratched his head. Sure, he was a rather talented cook, but he didn't have the faintest idea what to serve the angry man. Shyly poking his head out, Feli silently watched the German.

Ludwig gazed out the window, eyes furrowed as if remembering something annoying. Then he gripped the beer glass in hand with sudden ferocity, as if trying to crush it, before easing his fury and letting out a long sigh. Then he took a long drink from the glass and repeated the process.

At some point, Ludwig began to feel a bit paranoid, so glanced to the kitchen on a whim. He quickly spotted the man watching him and tensed up, locking eyes with the small chef. Feliciano let out a small 'eep!' and briefly retreated into the kitchen before managing to work up enough courage to peek halfway out beyond the door, flashing a sheepish smile.

"Um, sir...?" The German barked a curt response at him in his native tongue, causing Feli to wince a bit. "I...Is there...anything in particular you wanted...?" Feliciano could feel his body physically trembling, but the blond man paid no attention.

"I said anything would work fine," Ludwig responded, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. The chef began to stutter out a weak apology before Ludwig cut him off. "Look, it doesn't matter, alright? Just cook whatever you feel like." The Italian nodded before retreating back into the kitchen. Somewhere deep down, Ludwig felt a little bad about how he seemed to scare the poor fellow, but he didn't exactly care all that much at the moment.

He kicked back in the chair, beginning his mission of downing the rest of his beer. He slowly made his way through each of the glasses, eventually relaxing and kicking back in his chair. It was silent save for the clinks and clangs coming from the kitchen. Slowly closing his eyes, Ludwig fell into a half-asleep state, lost in his own thoughts and the smell of delicious food slowly making itself known.

He wasn't quite sure how long it took, but the chirping voice of the Italian shocked him out of his state. "Ve! Your food, _signore!~_"

Feliciano came twirling out of the kitchen with food in hand, his hat halfway off his head and apron spinning with him. The German watched the cheery boy, almost wanting to punch him for looking so happy. He quickly changed his mind when the plate was set in front of him, however.

Schnitzel and mashed potatoes.

Ludwig looked up to the chef, his confusion evident. "Isn't this an Italian restaurant?" The question itself was a bit dumb, seeing as the only two workers he had seen were clearly Italian. Feliciano simply smiled though, understanding.

"It is sir, but I pride myself on being able to cook a variety of things. And I wasn't sure what you would like from my culture..." The brunette looked away shyly, wringing his hands together in the folds of his apron. "So I just picked something from yours. Is that alright?"

Truth be told, it looked damn delicious. Ludwig hesitantly picked up his silverware, setting his napkin on his lap. Feliciano watched intently, carefully observing as Ludwig took the first few bites. The corners of the man's lips twitched upwards into a soft smile. Ludwig turned to the man. "_Es ist fantastisch._"

The Italian's face absolutely lit up. "_Grazie,_" he said, bowing slightly before returning the kind smile. "I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'll go fetch you some more beer, alright?" Before Ludwig could object, Feli was already bounding back to the kitchen. Ludwig smiled a bit more to himself, proceeding on with his meal. All of his worries and anxieties melted away. Well, they got pushed to the back of his mind, at least.

When Feliciano came dancing back out of the kitchen with a beer in one hand and a wine in the other, his apron and hat had disappeared. He pranced over and sat himself down opposite his muscular customer, pushing the beer over to his side and then pouring some wine for himself. Ludwig raised a brow in curiosity, but his question was answered before he asked. "You looked like you needed some dining company, and you're my last customer for tonight, so..." Feliciano bit his lip in hesitation. "Do you mind? I can go back into the kitchen if you want, I just-"

"It's fine," the German responded, shaking his head and wiping his mouth. "I don't mind the company really." Sitting by himself, he probably would have started brooding again.

Accepting the Italian's company turned out to be a very wise decision after all. While the naturally quiet blond savored his meal, he listened to the naturally chatty brunette go on and on about anything and everything; the weather, favorite kinds of pasta, kinds of cars, fashion styles, music, forks and spoons, types of knives...

By the time Ludwig finished his meal, Feliciano looked like he was going to turn blue in the face. He took a breath, finally realizing that he had been having a one-sided conversation with himself with the amused German spectated. "B-But enough about me!" he said, waving his hands in front of him. "What about you, _signor_e? I haven't even gotten your name!"

Ludwig paused for a moment, taking a sip of his last beer before responding. "...I'm Ludwig."

"Pleased to meet you, Ludwig!" The enthused Italian took Ludwig's hand into his own, shaking it vigorously. "My name is Feliciano Vargas!~"

"Nice to meet you as well," Ludwig mumbled out, nearly overwhelmed as the Italian began spewing out random nonsense again. "Excuse me, Feliciano?" Feli quickly stopped talking when he heard the German's deep voice. "If you don't mind me asking...how old are you?"

Feliciano blinked and furrowed his brows in confusion, then laughed. "I'm 24, sir."

"20..." Ludwig frowned. "That's rather young to be running your own business, isn't it?"

"Ah, not at all," the Italian quickly replied, a small smile spreading. "I enjoy it a lot, actually. It's never too busy, plus my brother is here to help me too!"

Ludwig shook his head. "Shouldn't you be going to school though?" Feliciano had already noted the university logo on the German's jacket, but disregarded it.

"I used to go to school." Feli kept the same consistent smile. "I used to be an art student. My grandfather passed away though, and there was no one left to take care of his restaurant...so my brother and I dropped out so we could take care of it."

"I...I see." Ludwig's cheeks burned. He felt bad about asking something so personal of someone he had just met, and had been so kind to him; but Feliciano smiled nonetheless, the same kind smile he had been giving Ludwig all night.

"What do you study, Ludwig?" Feliciano smoothly changed the subject, pouring some more wine for himself. Ludwig slightly envied the boy's charisma.

Ludwig smoothed back his hair. "I...I'm majoring in Physics and Mathematics." When the Italian started chuckling, Ludwig's cheeks burned again. "W-What's so funny?"

"It's nothing," Feliciano said between giggles. "You just...look like that kind of person."

"Like what kind of person?"

"The kind of person who works really hard all the time and is super smart and intimidates all his classmates and..." Ludwig blinked, but Feliciano just shot him another heartwarming smile. "I'm sure you'll go far, Ludwig."

Ludwig was just getting all kinds of embarrassed. He tried to look away, to hide his reddening face, but Feliciano just continued to smile. It was...different for him. He was used to his brother and his brother's friends constantly mocking him. With this man, this almost complete stranger...he didn't feel judged at all. He felt oddly content with just sitting here with him, relaxing and eating delicious food and...

"So what's on your mind?" Snapping back to reality, Ludwig blinked. Feliciano smiled all the same. "I mean...you were really upset when you came in. Do you want to talk about it?" The German let out a small groan. "I-I'm sorry! _Scusi!_ I just-"

"_Nein,_it's nothing," Ludwig mumbled, shaking his head and stopping the Italian's apology. "It was just...my older brother."

"Is he sick or something?" Feliciano laid the question with honest intentions, but received a curt laugh in response.

"Sick in the head, maybe. I swear, he can't get anything together...he's failing a few of his classes, all he does is get drunk and hang out with his friends all his time, and all he can do is harass me all the damn time-!"

Ludwig paused when he felt the Italian's hand on his own. He hadn't even realized he had gripped the nearby knife to the point of his knuckles whitening, but Feliciano had and tried to ease his tensions. It worked.

"I suppose that's what older brothers are for," Feli said, pondering and tapping his chin with his unused hand. "Sometimes my brother says some really mean things and does stuff that isn't particularly kind to me...but I know it's never on purpose. I'm sure your brother cares about you Ludwig, maybe he just has a bad way of showing it."

The German's hand finally let go of the knife, shyly pulling away from the Italian's. "...You're probably right." Ludwig sighed to himself. "I wish he would just calm down a little sometimes though."

"Does he get angry a lot?"

"No, he's-"

Almost as if they had asked for the devil himself to arrive, the platinum-haired German came crashing though the doors of the cafe, completely and utterly ignoring the sign that had been flipped to 'closed' much earlier. "HEY LUDWIG~!"

Suddenly, Ludwig wished the ceiling would crash upon his head and kill him. His brother walked over, smacking him rather roughly on the back. "Oh man, I thought I would never find you!" The Prussian's obnoxious cackle quickly filled the air. "After you stomped off like that, I thought you were going to murder somebody! You're really scary sometimes, you know that? Kesesese!" Ludwig looked up to Feliciano, afraid of how he would react. Feli's eyes were wide, but otherwise he seemed a bit unphased. Until the newcomer turned his attention to him.

"Ach? You going around picking up young men, Ludwig?" Feliciano opened his mouth to correct him, but the albino intervened, grabbing the Italian's hand away from his little brother's and planting a small peck on it, smirking wide. "Pleasure to meet you, sir. I am Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"A-Ah..." The young brunette couldn't help but blush a bit. Ludwig's grip returned to the knife, wondering how effective it would be to stab his brother at this angle. "I'm F-Feliciano Vargas...it's nice to meet you too...!"

Ludwig abruptly stood up, pushing his brother away and propelling him to the door. "I'm sorry, we must be going now, Feliciano."

"But _bruder-_"

"But Ludwig-"

Without another word, Ludwig departed, forcing his brother with him.

Feliciano frowned and furrowed his brows a bit. He didn't even get a proper goodbye.

...Nor did he get paid.


	2. Dawn of a New Day

**AN:** Well, finally started working on this, and decided I'd work really hard on it to make it a decent series.

Introducing: Background details, scene setting, and tons of foreshadowing to future events! It's like I'm a real writer or something! Le gasp!

_ACHTUNG! CONTAINS HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONS, MENTIONS OF HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONS, AND PRUSSIA. Hidekaz owns Hetaria, not me!_

_Pairings include GerIta, Spamano, and mentions of RusPrus.  
><em>

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><p>When Feliciano woke up in the cramped flat above his restaurant, it was because there was a little bird singing at his window.<p>

Yawning and stretching his arms, he dragged himself out of bed over to the window, pushing it open and smiling. "_Buongiorno!~_ How are you, little bird?" Outstretching a hand, the small yellow bird chirped and hopped onto his finger. Feliciano laughed. "Perhaps you're hungry? I'll get some of the feed we have for the pigeons and-"

"_Guten Morgen,_ Feliciano!" Said Italian blinked and looked down, seeing the albino figure waving up to him. Gilbert was there below, adorned in a military uniform, grinning from ear to ear. "_Entschuldigung, _I know it's early, but do you have a minute~?"

"A-Ah...sure, just a moment!" Feliciano let the bird go and closed the windows, quickly scurrying to put on something decent. A quick glance to the clock told him it was only 7 am; he usually didn't open until 10 or so. He didn't really mind, he could always just take a siesta later. He hopped down the stairs, nearly hurting himself on the decent.

When the door opened for him, Gilbert casually strolled in as if he owned the place, the sound of combat boots striking the ground and echoing in the modest cafe. Feli couldn't help but feel a bit lame; here he was in loose pants and a plain t-shirt while the intimidating albino lurked over him in his adorned, crisp uniform. "U-Um...Mr. Beilschmidt?"

However intimidating he might have seemed, the German simply smiled fondly at Feliciano. "You can just call me Gilbert, Feli.~"

Feliciano chuckled in embarrassment. "Sorry, you just seem so...um..."

"Ah, this?" Gilbert shrugged. "I'm just on my way to work." Feliciano wasn't sure what to say, but Gilbert picked up the slack for him. "Anyways, I wanted to pay for the bill from last night."

"Oh, right...! _Grazie!~_" the smaller replied, smiling before shying away and scratching his cheek. "I-I mean, I don't want to seem like a scrooge or anything, it was a pleasure to serve your brother...but I have to pay the bills, and..."

The albino patted him on the back reassuringly. "It's no problem, Feli. It was my silly brother's fault anyways~!" (Well, no, not really, it was pretty much Gilbert's fault, but Feliciano was far too nice to point that out to him.) "He can really by an airhead sometimes for someone so smart. He realized his mistake when he woke up this morning, but he had his classes to get to, so he asked me to take the money to you." Casually, Gilbert handed the young man a hefty wad of cash.

"G-Gilbert...!" Feliciano gasped, the money wrinkling and folding in his shaking hands. "I can't accept this...! This is way too much!"

The German laughed. "That's the cash Luddie told me to give you. Including a tip~," he said with a wink. He was hoping to make the cute young man blush, but instead, Feliciano stared at the pay dumbly.

_Oh Ludwig...you're never going to get far with this one,_ Gilbert thought sadly to himself.

In the middle of a college lecture, a tall German man suddenly wanted to slap his elder brother. Not that the feeling was that new though.

Gilbert turned on his heel to the door. "I suppose I'd better get going. Can't keep my squad waiting, now can I?"

"W-Wait!" Feliciano frowned. "Can I at least make you a quick breakfast? Grab you some donuts or something?"

"Nah, it's all good," the albino responded cooly, grinning to the chef. "You can make me and my friends dinner tonight though. We'll be swinging by."

"Alright then." The young man beamed, holding the money to his chest. "I'll see you then!"

Gilbert waved and walked out, a small bird landing on his shoulder as he walked away. Feliciano stared in curiosity before closing the door and proceeding upstairs to prepare himself for the day.

For some reason, while showering, Feliciano found his thoughts clouded with Ludwig. It had originally been an idle thought about how nice he was for returning the money, but his mind soon wandered to other things about the man. His face, his muscles, his kind nature hidden underneath the almost threatening exterior...Feli just waved it off as being eager to make a new friend. When he found himself trying to pick out clothes that he thought Ludwig might like, that was a bit more suspicious, but he waved it off again, figuring it was just in his nature to fuss over clothes either way. He entirely disregarded how he spent so much time adjusting his hair, not even associating it with Ludwig in the slightest.

After his morning encounter and odd thoughts getting ready, everything seemed to be running normally in the little cafe. Around noon his brother strolled in, yawning and scratching his back, still slightly disheveled as if he had just woken up.

"My boyfriend and his friends are coming in for dinner tonight, so I'll be staying late," Lovino announced bluntly, not even bothering with a proper 'hello.'

Feliciano blinked. "Oh, really? Gilbert and his friends were coming by again today for dinner too..." Feliciano shrugged casually, but Lovino's jaw dropped, soon after locking in a scowl.

"Ugh, that annoying guy you told me about from last night? Why?"

"...To eat?" Lovino just barely resisted the urge to smack his brother; Feli only smiled at him.

"Just keep him out of my way! I don't need any more nuisances than Antonio and his cronies!"

Feli shook his head. "He seems like a really nice guy, Lovi! He stopped by this morning and paid the bill from last night and apologized and-"

Lovino just scoffed and turned away, reaching for his uniform off to the side. "Whatever you say, _fratello._ Just make sure he stays out of the way of Antonio. I don't need that man bothered."

It was true enough; Lovino had been living with his Spaniard of a boyfriend for so long, he wouldn't be able to function properly without him. Lovino would probably kill himself before admitting that though. Feli had really only met Antonio in person a few times, but from what he could tell, he was a super nice guy, and constantly kept his brother happy. Occasionally, Feliciano would think about their relationship and sigh, pining for a relationship like that deep in his heart. Feli would never admit it though and instead went on with his quiet little cafe life.

It had been quiet up to that point, and the Italian was convinced that it would stay that way.

That night, the cafe was only mildly busy. There were maybe one or two couples in having a romantic date, but that was about it. Lovino leaned against the counter, dipping his finger into some of the sauces, ignoring his younger brother's quiet objections. All was relatively peaceful.

Without warning, the cafe doors slammed open. "_GUTEN TAG~!_" The obnoxious German shouting tipped the two off that their expected party had arrived.

Lovino slipped out of the kitchen, forcing a smile onto his face. However, when he saw the German's friends, he frowned. "Antonio, you bastard! This is who you were talking about?"

Feliciano poked his head out to see the tanned man laughing and apologizing to his brother, part of the party of four the albino had brought it with him. The familiar Spanish accent and kind voice filled his ears, and Feli smiled with approval.

"Forgive me, Lovino, I hadn't introduced you to my friends properly!" Antonio leaned forward, wrapping an arm around Lovino and swinging them around to face his friends. "I believe you briefly met Francis once-"

"_Bonjour,_" the wavy haired man purred, giving him a small wink. Antonio might have been put off if Lovino hadn't given a scowl and a death threat in return.

"That over there is Gilbert, ignore him, he can be kind of loud, and that's his little brother, Ludwig~!" Gilbert waved cheerfully, Ludwig looked away, flushed in embarrassment.

Before Lovino could scoff and go off on Ludwig in front of his brother and his friends, Feliciano came bounding out of the kitchen. "_Salute,_ Antonio! Gilbert~!" He politely introduced himself to Francis, then turned and bowed to Ludwig. "It's a pleasure to see you again, _signore~_!"

Ludwig cleared his throat. "Ah, erm, it's nice to see you again as well..."

"Feliciano didn't tell me _you_ would be here, _balordo,_" the elder Italian seethed, pulling away from his lover's hold. "What are you dressed up for?"

Feliciano had been too distracted by the German's unexpected visit to notice that Ludwig was in a rather nice suit. This wouldn't have been too odd, knowing the German's character, except Gilbert was still in his uniform, Antonio was wearing casual clothes, and Francis was wearing something fashionable that had likely been bought just that morning. The college student looked rather out of place in comparison. Ludwig tugged on his tie nervously. "Well, I just...I was..."

"Our hulking friend was on a date just a mere hour ago~" the Frenchman announced with a mischievous grin.

Ludwig's face lit up all over again. His brother and his friends howled with laughter, while Feliciano just gave him the usual kind smile. "How was it, Ludwig?"

Before he could answer, Gilbert piped in, wrapping an arm around his younger-yet-bigger brother. "She ran away when he went to the bathroom!" The obnoxious trio burst out into renewed laughter, making Ludwig feel like he was being hassled by hyenas. Feliciano opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't seem to find an appropriate place to break in from the laughter. By the time it started to die down, Gilbert interrupted once more. "Ah well, doesn't matter, right? He's got us to hang out with~! Got some seats for us?"

Lovino interjected. "There's a spot waiting for you in the corner. You know how to walk, go seat yourselves." His eyes were narrowed and the usual frown graced his features.

Smiling, Antonio leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. Lovino briefly forgot he was supposed to be bitter. "Thank you, _mi Lovino._" The Spaniard flashed his charming smile, earning a slap from his lover. Antonio laughed it off and proceeded to his table with the others.

"I hate that man," Lovino mumbled as he stomped back into the kitchen, cheeks dusted with a bashful shade of red. The younger Italian only smiled and followed him in.

The little corner of the cafe quickly crescendo'd into a loud symphony of cackling, swearing, perverted jokes, and sighs of lament. A few times, Lovino stuck his head out and told them to shove it, but each time Antonio would only blow a kiss in return and smile, causing the Italian to sputter and turn red and retreat into the kitchen.

Ludwig sighed, resting his head on his hand, staring idly out the window and occasionally glancing to the kitchen. By this point in his life, he had learned to drone out the incessant antics of his brother's trio. Instead he entangled himself in thoughts of his failure of a date, of the lecture that morning, of the charming chef just next door in the other room...wait, what?

Lovino reemerged with a notepad, one hand on his hip defiantly. "What the hell do you guys want?" Gilbert and Francis had collaborated to order a large platter of pasta and share. Antonio settled on a pizza and offered to share a few slices with Lovino, which was ignored. The Italian then turned to the tall blond.

"Ah...just tell Feliciano to make me what he made me yesterday."

"Don't act so familiar with my brother," Lovino growled as a warning, but made his way back into the kitchen to report back.

Francis grinned, leaning towards Ludwig. "Are you familiar with the little cutie in the kitchen~?"

Ludwig flushed, but Gilbert responded for him. "Oh yeah, man! They practically had a date last night!"

The other two gasped. The taller German facepalmed, wishing to sink into the floor and disappear.

"You're joking, Gilbert!"

"No way!"

"True story, bro! Just ask Feli when he comes out! They had a nice dinner together here last night, when it was all dark and dimly lit...there were no other customers, it was just the two of them, and Feli had made him a special dinner just for him to cheer him up, and..." The albino continued reciting the story on behalf of Ludwig, with a bit more detail than Ludwig would have liked. "Man, I always knew Ludwig would end up playing for the other team."

At this, the aforementioned German had to cough and sputter. "_E-Entschuldigung?_ What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come off it, Ludwig," Francis said with a chuckle. "Every single time we set you up with a girl, you were never interested, and you never pursued any on your own. We all saw it coming. ...Not that there's anything wrong with that~!"

Gilbert chirped in, wrapping an arm around his brother. "It doesn't matter if you have no interest in girls like me and Francis~!"

Ludwig scoffed. "Pardon, last I checked, you were swapping spit with that Braginski man-"

Francis and Antonio erupted into a fit of hysterics while Gilbert tried to cover up the red spreading across his cheeks. "T-That's gross, Ludwig! Like I would ever...! He...He totally forced himself onto me! There's no way...!"

"Gilbert," the Spaniard purred with a coy grin. "Are you really trying to say that a high ranked, specially trained soldier like you couldn't at least try to push off another man?"

"You don't understand! He's a soldier too, you know! And that guy, he's huge! Completely massive! I don't know if it's muscle or just gross Russian _fat!_"

"Oh man, I'm going to tell him you said that~!"

"Shut up, Francis! This has nothing to do with you!"

The trio continued to bicker and giggle as the two Italians pushed their way out of the kitchen, carefully carrying their meals. The elder set down the pasta platter and the pizza for his lover, ignoring the flirts and sultry talk aimed his way. The younger served Ludwig a familiar plate of schnitzel and potatoes, smiling warmly to him. The German returned the kind gesture, finding a smile inside of him and showing it to the Italian. "Thank you." At that, Feliciano seemed to light up a bit, but quickly retreated into the kitchen once more, Lovino dispersing to serve other customers who had arrived.

When Ludwig realized the trio was staring at him and snickering, he reached for the steak knife, and the trio quickly went back to their meal.

By the time they had finished their meals entirely, everyone else in the cafe had left, and it was rather late. Lovino stomped in, looking rather sleepy and annoyed. "Come on, you bastard! I want to go home! I've been working all day, and you've just been goofing off with these losers...!"

Antonio only chuckled. "Why not sit with us, Lovi? Come on, sit next to me. I'll let you rest on my shoulder. We'll leave soon, just a bit longer to chat."

Lovino opened his mouth, immediately wanting to spit acid and leave without him, but he decided the prospect of cuddling with his boyfriend and maybe sleep a little sounded nice, and proceeded to do so, cramming into the small round booth to lean against Antonio. Out of respect, the other two of the trio lowered their obnoxiousness to a whisper.

Feeling uncomfortable, Ludwig stood up. Gilbert looked at him questioningly, but Ludwig mumbled, "I just want some fresh air," and quickly left. They let him be.

Ludwig sat down on the curb outside the little cafe, looking up into the sky idly. It was a bit cold; his suit was thin, old, a bit worn out. As he shivered, a small coat was draped over his shoulders. He turned to look. There stood Feliciano, the usual tender smile on his face. "You look cold."

"You look cold too," the German responded as Feli sat down next to him, noting how the Italian's odd curl seemed to tremble in the night air.

Feliciano shook his head. "I don't mind, as long as you're warm." Ludwig could feel the familiar twinge of pink return to his cheeks and was grateful it was too dark outside for the Italian to see.

Together, they sat in the dark, a comfortable silence overtaking the two. Occasionally Feliciano would shift a little closer to his companion, as if wanting to say something, but each time decided not to. On the fifth time, Ludwig finally turned to him. "Something wrong, Feliciano...?"

"Um...I just, I wanted to say, I'm sorry," the Italian confessed, looking to the man with concerned eyes.

Ludwig cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry about your date."

"...Oh." The tall man looked away, shrugging a little. "It doesn't really matter. I didn't like her much anyways. My brother just set it up as a blind date for...for laughs, I guess."

The younger man blinked. "For laughs?"

"I think he just wanted to laugh at me," Ludwig confessed with a sigh. "He does stuff like this a lot. I just try to ignore it."

Feliciano frowned. "You should tell him how it makes you feel."

"If I told him that, he would just laugh more." Even the prospect of talking about his feelings with his brother sounded a bit silly, he could imagine himself pouring his heart out only for Gilbert to cackle and laugh it off and buy him a drink in response.

"It doesn't matter," Feli said, shaking his head. "He's your brother, I'm sure he cares about what you think, even if he pushes your buttons sometimes!"

Ludwig looked to the smaller man, appearing almost confused for a moment, but the look quickly melted into a smile. "...Maybe you're right, Feliciano."

The Italian smiled, instinctively scooting closer to his German friend for warmth. Hesitantly, a strong arm wrapped around the smaller man's shoulders, pulling him against him. Feliciano tensed for a moment, but quickly relaxed, decided that the motion was not an unwanted one. Ludwig smiled again, mentally noting how nice it was to have the Italian with him in his arms.

"By the way, I was meaning to say...thanks for last night, Feliciano." Said man furrowed his brows for a moment, trying to figure out what Ludwig was talking about. "Taking the time to sit down with me, I mean. Most people wouldn't for someone they didn't know, and especially for a guy like me...it helped me a lot."

Feliciano simply smiled. "I just thought it was the right thing to do. Besides, I'm glad I did. I got to meet you, didn't I?" The muscular man blinked. Feeling himself blushing for the umpteenth time that night, he opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of cafe doors opening.

"Come on, _Bruderchen~!_ You've got classes tomorrow, I've got work, it's time to go-"

Gilbert suddenly paused, eyes following Ludwig's arm and realizing it was wrapped snugly around the small chef. Ludwig pulled away as soon as he noticed his brother was staring, but it was too late. Lovino had noticed as well and was suddenly in full attack mode, Italian slurs and swears spilling from his throat, being restrained only by the Spaniard, who was laughing it all off. The Frenchman was already planning on how to congratulate the German and help him get together with the Italian.

Ludwig stood up and began walking away, waving goodbye to Feliciano. Gilbert followed in tow, military boots echoing throughout the quiet night. Lovino walked off another path with Antonio, waving to his brother and glaring daggers at the Germans. The Frenchman followed Gilbert a short distance before leaving on another route to his own home.

Feliciano stayed at his little cafe, waving goodbye to them all.


	3. You're Joking, Right?

**AN:** Oh man, sorry this was so delayed. I've been distracted by things that are nowhere near Hetalia related, sadly.

_BEFORE YOU ASK: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT COUNTRY THIS IS SET IN. Assume that it is some mystical European made up country next to Russia. ;; I really don't want to depict a real country having...negative relations with Russia. I don't want to get into real political issues here._

Also, this chapter is rather short, but the next will be filled with tons of fluff. Promise ~

_Achtung! This contains homosexual relations, mentions of homosexual relations, and Prussia. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz!_

* * *

><p>By the same time a month later, Feliciano wondered how anything could have been right without the four.<p>

Every day proceeded the nearly same. Ludwig would come in for lunch by himself around noon, hang out, talk to Feli a little, then get shooed out by Lovino. An hour or so later, Antonio would pop in with Francis, sometimes with Gilbert too, and would sit around and gossip, usually bursting out in loud laughter every five or so minutes, then would get chased out by and even more annoyed Lovino. Then at night, the four would come in together, have dinner, hang out long after closing time, and then get run out by Lovino who would be rather cranky and tired at that point.

Feliciano was rather fond of the process. Occasionally the groups would be mixed, like sometimes at lunch Ludwig would come in with Gilbert, sometimes at dinner Ludwig would be busy studying or Gilbert would be busy working...but either way, Feliciano was delighted with all of them. Truthfully, his little cafe life had been rather dull without them, but now the excitement that the four would always bring filled him with joy.

Like this night, for instance. All of the other customers had already left besides the four. Ludwig was trying to eat his steak in peace, though pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. Gilbert was singing karaoke with Antonio, dancing on one of the tables together. Lovino was covering his ears; he had long given up on trying to get them to stop. Francis sat next to Ludwig, chuckling and stirring his coffee.

"Hey Feli! Join us for the next one~!" The albino leaned down from the table, offering a hand to help the Italian up.

Feliciano turned bright red and laughed nervously. "O-Oh no, I couldn't possibly..." However, his pleas were rendered useless as Antonio and Gilbert grabbed him by either arm and hoisted him up.

Rolling his eyes, Lovino went back into the kitchen to grab some more drinks for the 'customers'. Ludwig sat, staring at the young man standing on the table who had been turning red and was now going through the song selection. Francis, in turn, watched Ludwig.

"Hey, Ludwig...? ~" The German turned to the man next to him, lazily raising a brow. Francis grinned. "You sure are interested in Feliciano, aren't you?" As much as Ludwig would try to deny it, the immediate sputtering and choking on his beer told Francis everything he needed to know. "Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of. All of us suspected it for awhile now."

Ludwig paused for a moment, then took a large gulp of his drink before turning back to Francis. "...Is it that obvious?"

"Oh yes, very," Francis responded, nodding in confirmation. "Why did you think Lovino chases you out every single day? ...Well, granted, that's just the way he is, but..."

Sighing, Ludwig rested his head on the table. "Does Feliciano know...?"

The Frenchman chuckled. "Actually, he seems to be the only one who's completely and utterly unaware."

That didn't surprise Ludwig in the slightest, truthfully. He looked back up to the Italian, who had now begun singing with Antonio and Gilbert, the only sober voice in a chorus of drunkards. Feliciano smiled innocently, seemingly entirely unaffected by the two fellows nearly falling off the table. That kind, smiling face...Ludwig could feel his cheeks burning. Francis laughed and slapped him on the back. "He's a good guy, Ludwig. I think you should go for it!"

"You think so...?"

"Feliciano seems really fond of you as well, you should ask him how he feels!"

"I-I can't just...! I don't have time for it!"

Francis suddenly frowned in distaste. "You don't have time for him?"

"N-No, I just...!"

"You have enough time to get drunk with friends every night, but not enough time to give a little love and attention to dear Feliciano?"

Ludwig sighed, shaking his head. "I do like him, Francis...but..."

Before they could get further into the progressing argument, Feliciano hopped off the table and kind of wobbled over to the two blonds, laughing cheerfully. "Come on, you two should join in!"

Francis, always eager to party with friends, stood up immediately to join Gilbert and Antonio, leaving the negative feeling behind. Ludwig, however, didn't move to get up. "I...no thanks," he muttered softly, looking away, expecting Feliciano to try to persuade him to get up.

Instead, Feli took a seat next to him. "If you don't want to." Ludwig looked to him, mildly shocked, but Feliciano just continued to smile.

Being one of few words, Ludwig simply shut his mouth, watching the trio of bad friends dancing around on the table. Feliciano sat next to him, curled up comfortably against him. The trio gave the two of them a quick glance, but went back to their shenanigans, giving the budding couple some space.

As the night continued on, Feliciano had begun one of his usual rambles, which his blond companion listened to with amusement. Feliciano was about to ask him about his feelings on the color of the tablecloths in the cafe, but Lovino interrupted. "I think you need to take your brother home, _bastardo._"

All three turned to the albino, who had apparently passed out during their conversation and was now draped halfway off the table. With a groan, Ludwig dragged himself to his feet, picking up his brother and throwing him over his shoulder with ease. With a silent wave and a nod from Feli, Ludwig left for the night.

With the true life of the party gone, Antonio and Francis hoisted themselves off the tables, dejected, and sat themselves next to Feli. Lovino, lacking anything else to do, sat next to his lover, who eagerly welcomed him and threw an arm around his shoulder.

An almost awkward silence ensued. Forever annoyed, Lovino began to hassle Antonio, seeing as it was his turn to pay for the food. Francis picked a more exciting conversation subject.

"So, Feliciano...how do you feel about Ludwig?"

In an instant Feliciano's face turned entirely red. Lovino was sufficiently distracted from his lover, violent eyes quickly turning onto his brother. Antonio just smiled and laughed. "Well, Feli? We've all been dying to know... ~"

The shy Italian looked away, refusing to face any of them. "Well, he...he's a really nice guy. He's always very kind to me, and he's really smart, and brave, and strong, and-"

"Tall and hot and sexy?" Francis offered with a grin.

"Yes- W-well, I...!" Feliciano shook his head, trying to cover his face with a napkin. "I...really like him, I suppose. He's a great...friend."

Antonio leaned across the table. "Just a friend, Feli?"

Turning bright red once more, the chef bit his lip. "Yes...a...friend...unless he, um..."

Lovino abruptly slammed his hands onto the table, earning the attention of the three. "I can't believe you, _fratello!_"

"W-What?" Feliciano looked up to his brother in alarm. Reaching across the table, Lovino grabbed his brother's collar and shook him back and forth.

"Why do you like that buffoon? He's a drunkard! A loser! A jerk! And just look at the people he hangs out with!" Francis was mildly offended, but didn't dare interrupt. "A guy like him would completely use a guy like you! I bet he only likes you because you keep _spoiling_ him relentlessly! Honestly, brother! A cute, young guy like you who can cook and hold his own- A starving, desperate college student loser like him- He would obviously just take advantage of you!"

Feliciano wailed, trying to pull away from the other Italian. "B-But Lovi...! He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would-!"

"He wouldn't," Francis interjected. "I've known the two Beilschmidts for awhile. Gilbert's the one you gotta look out for. Ludwig? He's a good guy. Sometimes he gets scary and kind of angry, but truly, he really likes you, Feli."

The brunette blinked, finally managing to pull away from the other boy. "H...He likes me?"

"Very much so," Antonio said, ignoring the irritated look he received from his lover. "That's why he comes in every day, that's why he talks to you all the time, that's why he tries to wrap his arms around you whenever he gets the chance... ~"

As Feli proceeded to blush like a schoolgirl in embarrassment and joy, Lovino scoffed. "I'm telling you, you're just going to end up getting hurt."

Antonio frowned slightly and pulled Lovino onto his lap. "That's what you said about me, Lovi," he murmured into the Italian's ear, wrapping his arms around his waist firmly. "But now look at you. You're happy, aren't you?"

"I...I..." Now Lovino mimicked Feli, red streaking across his face. "T-That's different! You're different than the others..." He trailed off, unable to finish his confession. Instead, he leaned back and kissed his lover on the cheek gently. "C-Can't we just go home? It's getting late, and..."

Chuckling, the Spaniard stood up, lifting his Italian with him. "It is getting rather late. We should go...coming, Francis?" The blond nodded and stood up. "Just put the bill on my tab, would you?" Lovino frowned in distaste, but Feliciano just smiled and nodded. With that, the last three left.

Turning on the small TV in the corner, Feliciano began to clean up. Just a routine part of life, though with the new routine, it was messier than usual. He tried to focus on cleaning, really, but he found that his mind kept wandering back to the tall German man and what the others had told him.

_He likes me...?_ Every time the realization came back to him, Feli's cheeks would light up again. Oh dear, what was he supposed to do with this information? Ludwig, the charming college student...Feliciano was more afraid that anything. What if they had been mistaken? What if Ludwig didn't really like him? How _could_ Ludwig like him? After all, Feli was a college _dropout._ All he had going for him was his little cafe, barely enough to keep him sustained, barely large enough to host one person living upstairs. There was no way...

Feliciano's train of thought was rather rudely interrupted by the sudden flashing lights on the TV. Curious, he turned is attention to it. It was the news.

"_The prime minister has returned from the conference in Russia. Negotiations fell through, and we are currently preparing for the worst..._"

Normally, his concern for world affairs was rather minimal, but the Italian's mind immediately went to Gilbert, the only soldier he knew. He bit his lip in concern...but surely, everything would work out. Everything always worked out, right? It would all be fine. He had better things to worry about rather than the petty arguments of the world around him. He was in love, and he needed to make sure Ludwig loved him back.


	4. Slow Day, Busy Night, Get Ready to Fight

**AN:** OH GOD THIS IS SOOO LATE I'M SORRY PFFFFFF. I've been super distracted with lots of stuff, truly.  
>Actually, I haven't even touched this in forever, I pushed myself to get this out because someone PMed me and kindly reminded me that I really needed to work on this, fosrs. Thanks Carrie2sky! c: Someone also asked if this was going to be a war fic. Not in the slightest. It's all about the romance and drama, the war with Russia is just a driving force.<p>

I'll try to update this more often. However. Be aware that this will be the last happy chapter, truly. It all goes downhill from here, Elizabethan tragedy style. Unlike a tragedy though, things will start to look up again at the end, things will be resolved, and there will be a sweet ending, so stay tuned!

_Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz. Gay love and implied sex in this chapter! You have been warned!_

* * *

><p>The day had been uncharacteristically slow.<p>

Two weeks ago, he had thought very little about the news announcement, about the coming war with Russia, but it impacted him dramatically. Business slowed down, his friends came in less and less often...Ever since the announcement of impeding war, Gilbert hadn't even made a single appearance at the cafe. Understandably so, but the disappearance of the amusing albino made Feliciano sigh a little to himself. Lovino hadn't come in at all today either. Neither had Antonio or Francis or...or Ludwig.

Curl drooping, Feli flipped the sign to 'Closed,' turning to finish cleaning up the last table. It had been a slow, boring day, and Feliciano was feeling just a little depressed. His mood turned, however, when a blonde face appeared, knocking at the cafe doors.

"_Buona sera_," Feliciano chirped, quickly unlocking and opening the doors. "I was afraid I wouldn't see any of you today!"

Francis chuckled to himself. "I'm here alone, sadly." Feliciano motioned for him to come inside, but the Frenchman shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not here for dinner. I just wanted to stop by, I figured nobody had seen you today."

"Where is everybody?" The young Italian frowned as Francis propped himself up against the doorway. "It was so lonely today...Not even Lovino came!"

"Antonio told me he was taking Lovino out for a surprise." Feliciano raised a brow, looking for more explanation than that, but Francis shook his head. "That's all he told me. Anyways, I was helping Gilbert get some stuff together, he's been pretty busy with work these days, with all the crap happening..." Shrugging offhandedly, Francis stood up straight. "Ludwig's back at his apartment studying, if you wanted to visit him."

"V...Visit him?" He blinked, blood beginning to rush to his cheeks at the thought of it. "I've never met up with Ludwig outside of here, and it's so late...!"

Francis chuckled and patted the younger man on the shoulder. "He wouldn't mind it at all, Feli, and you know it. He'd be delighted if you came to see him, regardless of where or when."

Feliciano thought it over. It could be kind of romantic, visiting him late at night...maybe he should bring some food? Yeah, that's it! Ludwig was a starving college student; Feli should stop by and bring some food for him, and then they could eat together and...yeah, that'd definitely work.

Nodding, Feli smiled. "Thanks, Francis. I'll stop by his place later." With a thumbs up of approval, Francis went on his way.

* * *

><p>Ludwig ran a hand through his hair, trying to get it to slick back. However, at this point, it refused to listen to him and flopped back down onto his forehead. Crossing his eyes up to stare at it, he sighed and resigned, subconsciously rubbing his chin and then finding himself very much irritated with the stubble manifesting itself across his face.<p>

_Mein Gott, I'm a mess._

He had a final the next morning, and it happened to be his worst class. Ludwig needed to ace it. Just simply needed to. For the sake of his grades and his own pride. Well, mostly his pride. He couldn't even remember the last time he had eaten or drank anything...or moved from that seat at the desk, actually. His mind drifted over to the window, where he made a note that at some point during his studies, the sun had set. Then, mentally slapping himself, he forced himself to focus on the text books in front of him once more.

However, he couldn't focus for long when someone began knocking at the door.

His first instinct was to ignore it and hope that it went away. His brother had a key, if it was him, he could just let himself in. If it was anyone else, screw that, he didn't need company right now.

"_Ve~_ Ludwig! _Ciao! Amico! _Are you home?" Upon hearing Italian, though, Ludwig was already out of his seat and tripping his way over discarded bags and clothes to the door.

Slowly, the German opened the door, almost afraid that his mind was playing tricks on him. Once he saw the Italian's smiling face, however, Ludwig couldn't think straight much at all. "Good evening, Feliciano. What brings you here...?"

Feliciano let himself inside past Ludwig, carrying a few warm bags in his arms, almost entirely ignoring the question. "Oh, Ludwig! You look like you've been working so hard! And this place! So messy...!"

Ludwig turned red of embarrassment, closing the door behind him as he turned to his guest. "I-It's not usually this messy! I swear! I-I just haven't had the time to clean lately..."

"I kind of figured," the Italian remarked with a chuckle. "You seemed like the organized type. You've just been really busy, right?" Ludwig nodded as Feli began to unload the bags.

"_Ja,_ I've been studying a lot lately, I haven't really had much time to tidy up, plus Gilbert's been busy and just kind of dumps his stuff here, plus I have a final coming up and...Feliciano, what is that? It smells amazing."

Smiling, Feliciano turned and held the food out to Ludwig. "Francis told me you might be hungry."

Finding himself too hungry to say much else, the German took the food with a mumbled '_danke_' and sat on the nearest couch, immediately beginning to inhale the food. Feli just laughed and sat down next to him with his own helping, explaining the origins of the meal and the cooking process. Ludwig was only half listening, but enjoyed the sound of the cheery young man's voice, regardless.

The night continued on similarly after Ludwig had finished his meal. Feliciano continued to ramble and sputter on about random things, arms flailing or motioning or acting out whatever he was saying, smiling and laughing all the while. He couldn't figure out why, but every time he saw the other man smile, Ludwig couldn't help but smile a little in return. Just the other fellow's presence was enough to make him smile, really. At some point Feli had turned on the TV to watch something, but then got distracted and began talking to Ludwig once more.

When Feliciano had started to wind down, presumable a bit tired, he leaned up a little against the German. Ludwig coughed. "Hey, Feliciano...?"

"Mmn?" Sleepily, the Italian looked up to him, rubbing his eyes a little to stay awake.

"...I don't have money to pay for this." Feliciano blinked and narrowed his eyes in confusion for a moment, only briefly before laughing.

"I didn't ever want you to pay for it, Ludwig." Now it was Ludwig's turn to look on in confusion.

"I don't understand you, Feliciano. I never have money to pay for meals, yet you always cook for me...even now, going out of your way to come visit and bring me food...why?"

Though not one to deliberately avoid the issue, Feliciano turned away, trying to hide the various shades of red springing to his cheeks. "Well...I just...wanted to visit you. Francis told me you were studying, and I figured you were hungry, so..." The Italian let out a slight gasp as large hands lifted his chin up and forced his face towards Ludwig's. Suddenly finding himself unable to cope, Feliciano screwed his eyes shut and confessed. "And because I really like you, Ludwig...!"

Ludwig simply blinked. "...Really?"

"Oh, Ludwig!" Feliciano threw himself into the other's arms, curling up against his chest. "Of course really! I...I really care about you, and...I just...I want to do everything I can to help you, which isn't really much, but every time I see you, it makes me happy, and I want to make you as happy as you make me!"

Slowly, strong German arms enclosed around Feliciano, holding him close. "I...I like you a lot too, Feliciano."

It wasn't nearly as romantic as Feliciano's confession, or as wordy, but hey, for Ludwig, it was a big accomplishment. He leaned down to capture the smaller man's lips as Feliciano leaned up, meeting perfectly and pushing his new lover down onto the couch. They didn't really need words at this point anyways.

* * *

><p>As the sun shifted just enough to run across Ludwig's eyes, the muscular man slowly woke up, rolling over on his side to look at the time. It was still a few hours to his final. He had some time to study if he...<p>

"_Ve...Buongiorno, _Ludwig." The warm heat of Feliciano pressed up against the German, causing him to forget what he was even thinking about.

"_Guten Morgen,_ Feliciano." Ludwig turned to peck Feli on the lips, wrapping an arm around him to hold him against his chest.

Feliciano let out a soft laugh and snuggled against him, running a small hand over the German's exposed muscles. "I don't remember how we even made it to the bed last night...~"

Ludwig snorted. "If you would have stopped groping me for a few seconds, it would have been a lot faster." Feliciano only laughed and kissed Ludwig again, the exchange happily returned by the larger man.

The exchange was quickly interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Feliciano gasped and pulled away as Ludwig swore under his breath, scrambling to find his clothes as the sound of boots made their way slowly from the entrance to the bedroom. Unable to find his own, he quickly tried to find Feliciano's, but abandoned all hope as Gilbert walked right in. He winced, expecting his brother to laugh. Tease. Mock. To torture him and make him regret what he did with that little Italian the previous night.

He did not, however, expect Gilbert to be standing there in full uniform with a duffel bag in hand, looking dejected. "Ludwig...?"

"Gilbert." Ludwig frowned, momentarily forgetting Feliciano was still there and they were both naked. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

Gilbert let out a hollow laugh, dropping his bag. "You didn't hear? They just announced war. I'm being deployed tonight."


	5. So Long, Farewell

**AN:** So. I'm leaving tomorrow morning on a flight to Hawaii, and what are my thoughts? I NEED TO UPDATE THIS FANFIC. OLOLOLOL.  
>This update is kind of short, but...rather important. Teehee. The next one will be much better, I promise, but for now, this is what you get.<br>I promise I'll try to update this more often. Hurrhurr.

_Achtung! This story contains homosexual relations and mentions of homosexual relations, as well as mentions of sexual acts.  
>Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz. You have been informed!<em>

* * *

><p>Feliciano checked his watch as he trudged along the side of the road. The restaurant was supposed to open in 20 minutes. Maybe if he started running he could make it...<p>

Sighing, he shook his head. His mind was too clouded to worry about that. Gilbert's announcement had shaken him and Ludwig up. They didn't even confront that fact that he and Ludwig had just slept together, Feliciano had just gathered his things and left to leave the two brothers alone to discuss their dilemma.

_Ludwig..._

Feliciano wrung his hands together in worry as he approached his cafe. He would have to push all those thoughts aside and hurry up if he wanted to get up and running for the day. That was most important, right?

Mentally he began sorting out all the things he needed to do before he opened up as he walked up the stairs to his loft. However, his thoughts slowed to a stop as he walked into his bedroom and realized that there was a figure sleeping in his bed.

Feliciano hesitated, afraid for a moment until he recognized the figure. "_...Fratello?_" The sleeping figure shifted, moaning a little before slowly sitting up and stretching. "What are you doing here?"

Lovino's signature frown formed on his face, his mind beginning to wake up. "You didn't come home last night."

"I was with Ludwig." Lovino opened his mouth to say something, but Feliciano cut him off. "I thought you were with Antonio last night! Why did you come here...?"

The scowl left Lovino's face for a moment as he looked away, the usual anger that graced his figures replaced by sorrow. "He kicked me out. We broke up."

* * *

><p>"So, what are you guys going to do?" Ludwig glanced to the other figures in his apartment. The usually goofy trio of friends was there, though solemn and silent, trying to cope with the harsh reality being imposed upon them. Ludwig sighed and answered his own question. "I'm going to have to get a job without Gilbert here. Maybe move into a smaller apartment..."<p>

Francis spoke up. "I'll probably head home." When Ludwig looked to him, puzzled, the Frenchman chuckled. "To my own country, I mean. It'd be better that way."

"I think I'll go home too." The other two speakers glanced to Antonio. His generally cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be found as the Spaniard stared intently out the window.

"Are you bringing Lovino with you-?" Francis started to question, but was cut off bluntly.

"Why would I do something like that?" Antonio snapped back. He stood, grabbing the nearby remote for the TV for the sake of something to hold. "He never pulls his weight! He never wants to do anything for anyone else! He's so selfish and inconsiderate and...!" He made a motion, as if he was about to throw the remote out of a fit of rage, but thought better of it and sighed, dropping it onto the couch. "I asked him if he wanted to go, but he started complaining about his brother, and the cafe, and how he would never fit in over there and how he hates Spain and blah blah blah..."

Francis patted him on the back, letting out a small laugh. "That lover of yours sure is a piece of work. I'm sure if you just tried to talk to him-"

"I kicked him out." To this, the other three people in the room stared at him in shock. Antonio looked away again, unable to face them. "I told him I'd bring him his things before I left, but we're over."

"But Antonio!" Francis gasped, being the only other being in the room who really knew anything about romance. "You two have been together practically as long as we've known you! We're all just in tough times, you shouldn't let this tear you two apart...!"

"Let him do what he wants." Everyone turned to Gilbert, who had finally spoken. He did not face the others. He held his suitcase in a vice-grip, blankly facing the wall. "Antonio has his whole life ahead of him. Let him spend it how he wants. He's not the one marching out onto the front lines."

The weight of Gilbert's predicament sank in, and the room fell into silence again.

* * *

><p>Feliciano dialed the number to Ludwig's apartment as Lovino hiccuped in the background. "Why are you calling them...?"<p>

"I want to treat Gilbert to a nice meal before he has to leave," Feliciano answered plainly, smiling softly to himself. "Besides, maybe Antonio will come and you guys can talk-"

"I don't want to talk to him!" Lovino grabbed his brother's arm, tearing the phone away from him and hanging up as Ludwig answered. "He said horrible things to me! I don't care if he goes home and marries some Spanish tart! It doesn't matter, I can just live here with you!"

"Lovino," Feliciano sighed out, shaking his head. "You're just saying that because you're upset...! Besides, I...don't think there's enough room for the both of us here."

Normally, that would have seemed like a rude comment, but it was rather true in this case. There was hardly enough room for Feliciano himself to live above the tiny little cafe, fitting Lovino in there as well was pretty much out of the question unless they were to somehow merge into one person. However, Lovino just snorted and crossed his arms. "It'll be fine."

Feliciano had serious doubts about that, but ignored it as the phone rang and he moved to answer it.

"_F-Feliciano? Did you just call me?_" The deep voice laced with a German accent immediately made Feliciano's heart flutter.

"A-Ah, _si_, sorry about that...Listen, what time is Gilbert leaving tonight? Maybe he'd like to come have dinner before he goes..."

And so, that night, they arranged for the usual group to meet up. It was supposed to be like normal, how they always were, smiling and laughing, but instead they found themselves gathered for a very dreary farewell.

For one thing, the ex-lovers wouldn't speak to each other. When it was Antonio's turn to order, Lovino had just walked away, and Antonio didn't look like he was willing to order from the other anyways. Instead, he had to go and tell Feliciano what he wanted with a fake smile plastered all over his face. And for another thing, Gilbert hardly spoke at all. He gave Feli a soft mumble when ordering and being served food, but otherwise sat silently and poked at his food halfheartedly. Ludwig did the same, looking even more stern and serious than usual.

In the end, the dinner really just consisted of Francis and Antonio making idle chitchat with each other, Lovino moping around in the kitchen, and the two German brothers playing with their food.

Glancing to his watch, Gilbert abruptly stood up. "It's time for me to get going."

"But Gilbert...!" Feliciano frowned, grabbing the hand of the albino man. "Do you really have to...?"

"It's my duty. Besides," the albino grinned, flashing his bright red eyes, "I'll be awesome."

Feeling himself tear up, Feliciano hugged Gilbert tightly. Gilbert ruffled the young Italian's hair as Francis stood up and hugged the two, motioning for a group hug. The albino laughed, trying to push Francis away. "Come on, seriously?"

Truly smiling for what seemed like the first time that night, Antonio stood up as well, practically tackling the other three. "Bring me back a souvenir, will you? ~"

"Like what, bullet shells?" Gilbert snickered and looked to Ludwig and Lovino, who had recently poked his head in to see what the commotion was. "Come on you two, you have to be part of this as well!"

Lovino snorted and Ludwig rolled his eyes, but when Feliciano looked to the two of them, they both resigned and reluctantly joined in. The look on the albino's face was worth it.

"You guys are great," he mumbled through a wide grin, wiping the tears attempting to spill with his sleeve. "Promise you'll this awesome when I get back." They all looked to each other, wondering if they could really stay the same. If things would ever go back to the way they were; if anything would really be okay again, much less be 'awesome.'

They promised him anyways, and just like that, Gilbert was off to war.


End file.
